Poll climb: Nuggets collect 1st-ever national votes

NEW ORLEANS — Ten days after earning its first-ever victory against a ranked opponent, Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball produced another first Tuesday: points in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
     
The Gold Nuggets (6-2) received four points from a panel of 19 coaches and ranked 38th among the 39 teams receiving votes. XULA is the first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference team to receive votes since former member Mobile in November 2009.
     
"It's a boost for our program that we are becoming nationally recognized," second-year XULA head coach Pat Kendrick said.
     
XULA defeated then-No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan in four sets Aug. 25 at the Mid-South Crossover Challenge in Bowling Green, Ky. This is the 11th season of XULA volleyball. Prior to the Indiana Wesleyan match, the Gold Nuggets were 0-14 against top-25 teams.
    
The next rankings will be announced Sept. 19.

XULA's Tuesday home match against Tougaloo was postponed until Oct. 15 due to the approach of Tropical Storm Gordon. Weather permitting, the Gold Nuggets' next competition will be Friday and Saturday in Alabama at the University of Mobile Invitational — four matches in all.
    

NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sept. 2) Rank Previous School Record Points 1 5 Park (Mo.) (17) 5-0 528 2 9 Grand View (Iowa) (1) 7-0 508 3 14 Columbia (Mo.) 5-1 487 4 1 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (1) 8-2 486 5 4 Viterbo (Wis.) 8-3 440 6 RV Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 11-1 439 7 6 Westmont (Calif.) 8-1 422 8 11 Midland (Neb.) 8-2 418 9 3 Missouri Baptist 11-2 395 10 13 Southern Oregon 10-0 385 11 10 Hastings (Neb.) 4-0 366 12 2 Dordt (Iowa) 5-1 338 13 RV Vanguard (Calif.) 11-1 306 14 7 College of Idaho 6-4 296 15 NR Providence (Mont.) 7-1 289 16 7 Northwestern (Iowa) 7-3 254 17 RV Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 10-1 238 18 17 Georgetown (Ky.) 6-1 205 19 NR Saint Francis (Ind.) 11-2 195 19 20 Madonna (Mich.) 5-0 195 21 15 Eastern Oregon 6-4 183 22 18 Doane (Neb.) 6-2 153 23 12 Montana Tech 6-5 129 24 21 Bellevue (Neb.) 5-3 125 25 NR The Master's (Calif.) 10-3 111 Dropped from the rankings: No. 16 Cornerstone (Mich.), No. 19 Corban (Ore.), No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 23 Ottawa (Kan.),No. 24 Northwest (Wash.), No. 25 Jamestown (N.D.)  Others receiving votes: Corban 102, SAGU (Texas) 95, Aquinas (Mich.) 73, Central Methodist (Mo.) 65, Jamestown (N.D.) 52, McPherson (Kan.) 51, Saint Xavier (Ill.) 27, Reinhardt (Ga.) 23, Campbellsville (Ky.) 23, Lourdes (Ohio) 22, William Woods (Mo.) 8, Ottawa (Kan.) 7, Xavier (La.) 4, Trinity Christian (Ill.) 3 Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold

Gordon gets in the way, XULA conference opener postponed

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana closed at 4 p.m. Tuesday due to the approach of Gordon in the Gulf of Mexico, and as a result the Gold Nuggets' home volleyball match against Tougaloo was postponed.
     
The match, also scheduled for Tuesday, was to have been XULA's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener. It has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 15 at XULA's Convocation Center.
     
The Gold Nuggets' all-time record on Sept. 4: one win, three losses and three weather postponements. Also washed out on that date because of tropical activity were matches against city rival Loyola in 2011 and 2012.
     
Tropical Storm Gordon was expected to make landfall near the Mississippi and Alabama border Tuesday night. The National Weather Service said Gordon could strengthen and become a Category 1 hurricane.
     
Next for XULA, weather permitting, will be a trip to Alabama for the University of Mobile Invitational. The Nuggets will play Friday at 2 p.m. against Mobile and 6 p.m. against St. Thomas (Texas) and Saturday at 2 p.m. against Life and 4 p.m. against William Carey. Inheriting the role of XULA's first GCAC opponent will be city rival Dillard — 1 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Convocation Center.
    
 XULA is 6-2 after winning 3-of-4 matches in its Big Easy Blastoff this past week.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Alabama A&M Football Review with " Coach Connell Maynor"

NEXT GAME: SEPT. 8, 2018, TIME: 6:00 PM, ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY vs. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA, Lewis Crew Stadium, Huntsville

ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Hardin: North Carolina A&T Aggies' two-day odyssey ends well

GREENVILLE, North Carolina — When the long weekend finally ended, a historic win streak continued.

N.C. A&T’s stunning 28-23 win over East Carolina sent a shockwave across the state and a seismic shift here in Greenville.

The game ended in a delirious final sequence that left a sparse crowd of ECU fans booing their team and a spirited traveling pack of Aggies shrieking over another win over another FBS program, this one an improbable two-day victory that might ultimately be one of the most memorable in A&T history.

The lightning and rain from Saturday night washed the game into a sweltering Sunday afternoon. Almost no one came to watch, which made for a strange end to a 36-hour slog with the elements.



A&T headed back home with a gut-wrenching win and will now face Gardner-Webb then begin its defense of MEAC and national championships.

The trip to Greenville was meant to be a payday for the school and a road trip experience in one of the coolest game-day atmospheres in North Carolina. Let’s just say the atmosphere in Greensboro would’ve been better.

CONTINUE READING

AAMU Volleyball Rallies Late to Topple Memphis On the Road

AAMU ROSTER

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- The Alabama A&M University volleyball team never lost faith in Wednesday's non-conference match, prevailing by a 3-2 score over The University of Memphis. The hosting Tigers gained an early 2-1 advantage, but the Lady Bulldogs swung the momentum back in its own direction in the fourth and fifth sets to claim the victory.

With its nail-biting 3-2 (16-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13) victory, Alabama A&M picked up its third non-conference match of the season and garnered some momentum heading into the Southern Illinois Invitational on Friday.

Freshman Alana Cox (Madison, Ala.) led a potent Lady Bulldogs attack with 14 kills with only four attack errors and a .312 attack percentage. Sophomore Maya Evans (Houston,Tex.) was a force at the net with 13 kills, three blocks and served two aces. Gant contributed 11 kills.

"I am so proud of the fight I saw in our team tonight," Head Coach Rose Powell said. "We had some individuals step up and play a big role in the in. We will us this to build on this coming weekend tournament."

Junior Astonia Gray (Dekalb, Tex.) had all of her five kills in the all-important fifth set, with a .714 attack percentage, while setter Megan Evans (Houston, Tex.) passed out 36 assists.

First-year Maci Battle (Meridianville, Ala.) led the back-row defense with a game-high 20 digs, followed by Gant who added 12.

BOX SCORE

ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

First look: After top 10 win, Auburn returns home to host Alabama State

Auburn (1-0) vs. Alabama State (1-0)
When: Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m. CT
TV:  SEC Network Alternate
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium
Betting line: N/A

Hornets this season:
Alabama State is in its first full season under coach Donald Hill-Eley, who led the Hornets to a 5-1 mark to end last season as the interim coach. The Hornets were picked to finish second in the SWAC East in the preseason and had six preseason second team All-SWAC honorees.

After opening with a 26-20 overtime win over Tuskegee, its first win in the rivalry since 2011, ASU opens a six-game road stretch at Auburn. It will be one of two FBS games this season for ASU, which travels to South Alabama on Oct. 13.

While the Hornets are not expected to pose any challenge to Auburn, the game is significant because it is ASU's first ever trip to the Plains.

Impact player: QB Darryl Pearson Jr.
Pearson, a redshirt-sophomore, threw for a career-high 164 yards with a touchdown and had 15 rushing yards and a score in a 26-20 overtime win over Tuskegee in the Labor Day Classic.

He was a preseason second team All-SWAC selection.

ASU head coach Donald Hill-Eley gives his thoughts following the win over Tuskegee. pic.twitter.com/VJdNcirLQ5

— Kamarri Darrington (@kamarrid) September 2, 2018

CONTINUE READING

Jones Plans To Run In Hopes of Rebuilding Morgan Football

http://www.hsrn.com/

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Morgan State’s interim head coach Ernest Jones plans to run into the challenge of rebuilding the football program. In an era of run pass option (RPO) offense Jones prefers limiting the pass, focusing on the rush, and hard nose defense as they look to restore credibility to the program which is three years removed from sharing a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship.

“This is a new day and are creating a new identity on offense,” Jones said to the AFRO. “We don’t care who knows it. We are going to line up and give the ball to our bruising, physical running backs. You may know what’s coming but it will be hard to stop”.

ones faces an uphill battle as he tries to re-energize their students, fan base, and keep the team motivated. The Bears are ineligible for postseason this year as the program failed to meet the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 930 for the second time in three years. The APR monitors eligibility and student-athletes’ progress toward graduation. Despite the improvement from 893 to 920 Morgan State can only be a spoiler to teams who are contending for the MEAC title and berth in the Celebration Bowl.

CONTINUE REAFDING

North Carolina A&T #AggiePride Takes Down Yet Another FBS

GREENVILLE, North Carolina – When North Carolina A&T quarterback Lamar Raynard (6-foot-4, 195, R-SR, High Point, N.C.) comes to the sideline after a series, there is one guy he can always count on to uplift him whether the series was good or bad and that’s the Aggies backup quarterback, Kylil Carter (5-10, 236, R-JR, Austell, Ga.).

On Sunday at East Carolina, the Walter Payton Award hopeful and reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year did not see it beneath him to do the same for Carter.

Carter came in to relieve Raynard late in the third quarter after Raynard went to the bench with an injury. Carter simply did what Carter often does when he is asked to pinch-hit. He led the Aggies to a come-from-behind win. Carter led the Aggies on two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to down ECU 28-23 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

“I could have returned but Kylil was rolling,” said Raynard, who owns several single-season N.C. A&T school records. “You don't want to mess that up. You don't take out the guy with the hot hand. He's got to stay in the game. He was perfect today."

The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but because of inclement weather in Greenville Saturday night, the game was moved to Sunday afternoon. The Aggies came into the game ranked 14thin the nation in Division I-FCS play. They improved to 2-0 by securing another colossus win. The win over the Pirates (0-1) marks the third straight year the Aggies have defeated a Division I-FBS program. This time they took down a team that plays in one of the better conferences in the country, the American Athletic Conference. It is the same conference that produced 13-0 Central Florida last season.

In the last three years, the Aggies have not only knocked off three FBS foes, they have also defeated two ranked FCS foes, both of whom were among the top-15 teams in the nation at the time N.C. A&T won.

“We have a bunch of guys who have a will to win,” said N.C. A&T coach Sam Washington who saw his team extend the longest current FCS winning streak in the nation to 14 games. N.C. A&T matched Central Florida for the longest current win streak amongst Division I teams.

“You can see that will to win every time these guys step on the field,” Washington continued. “When you have a bunch of guys who are willing to fight until the final whistle you can’t help but be successful. I’m proud of the way these guys hung in there. These men truly believe they can line up and be successful against any team in the country.”

N.C. A&T’s determination extends to its backup QB. With 2:47 remaining in the third quarter and the Aggies trailing 20-14, Raynard ran to left for a 2-yard gain. During the play, an ECU defender stepped on Raynard’s hard forcing him out of the game. In stepped Carter who three years ago came in relief for a banged up N.C. A&T QB unit and threw a game-winning TD to beat S.C. State.

Two years ago, he came in to relieve Raynard and helped the Aggies defeat Kent State for the Aggies first-ever FBS win. Carter’s ability as a running quarterback paid off immediately on Sunday. On his first play, he handed the ball off to running back Marquell Cartwright (5-8, 203, R-SR, High Point, N.C.) and finished out the fake forcing some of the ECU defense to follow him instead of focusing on Cartwright who ripped off a 33-yard gain. Carter had 14 yards rushing on the drive that ended with him finding receiver Zachary Leslie (6-3, 204, R-SO, Lawndale, N.C.) for a gorgeous one-hand 5-yard touchdown reception that gave the Aggies a 21-20 lead going into the fourth quarter.

“I always believe if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready,” said Carter.

A 22-yard field goal by ECU’s Jake Verity gave the Pirates the lead back at 23-21 with 10:02 to play. But Carter returned to the field and connected with a wide-open Malik Wilson (5-11, 166, R-SR, Burlington, N.C.) for a 49-yard reception on a crucial 3rd-and-14 from the Aggies 21-yard line. Wilson’s reception led to a 17-yard TD reception from Carter to receiver Elijah Bell (6-1, 222, JR, Wheeling, WVa.) to give the Aggies the lead for good at 28-23 with 7:05 remaining. It was Bell’s 21st career TD reception putting five away from the career school record.

The Aggies then turned the game over to their defense. After surrendering 50 plays to the Pirates in the first half, the Pirates were only able to get off seven plays on their next two drives. ECU had one more chance at the win as they took over at their own 38 with 2:07 to play. But on the final play of the game from the Aggies 37, ECU quarterback Reid Herring had his pass fall out of the hands of his receiver and into the hands of Aggies cornerback Timadre Abram (5-10, 168, R-SR, Lakeland, Fla.).

The Aggies are now 3-4 against FBS opponents and they are 170-79-9 all-time against in-state schools. Mac McCain III (5-11, 173, R-SO, Greensboro, N.C.) had a big day for N.C. A&T with 11 tackles four passes defenses and he posted his second career 100-yard interception return for a touchdown with a pick-6 in the first quarter that halted an ECU scoring threat and gave N.C. A&T a 7-3 lead.

ATTENDANCE:  38,640
BOX SCORE

Raynard led the Aggies on a key drive at the end of the first half as N.C. A&T went 86 yards in 11 plays. Leslie caught one of his two TD passes on the day with a 12-yard reception that slipped through the arms of an ECU defender into his arms to cut the Pirates lead to 17-14 at the half.

The Aggies will finally get a chance to play at home as they will host Gardner-Webb 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 8 at BB&T Stadium.

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Fontaine is fine as Nuggets feast on final day

NEW ORLEANS — Monet Fontaine hit .373 with 29 kills Saturday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a pair of victories on the final day of the Big Easy Blastoff volleyball tournament at the Convocation Center.

The Gold Nuggets defeated Martin Methodist 17-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-14 during the afternoon, then roared back in the evening with a 25-19, 25-23, 25-14 thumping of Webber International, a 2017 NAIA national tournament qualifier.

XULA (6-2) won 3-of-4 matches in its third annual home tournament. The Gold Nuggets will begin their quest for an eighth consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship in a 6 p.m. Tuesday home match against Tougaloo.
     
Fontaine had career highs of 15 kills and nine digs against Martin Methodist.

BOX SCORE 1    BOX SCORE 2
     
Fontaine and teammate Vivica Price-Spraggins were named to the 10-player all-tournament team. Price-Spraggins hit .554 with 44 kills and 25 blocks in four matches. Price-Spraggins had 12 kills, eight blocks and hit a career-best .706 against Webber.
     
"We got better as the day went on," XULA coach Pat Kendrick said. "We got steady play out of Viv, and Monet gave us a spark off the bench."

2018 Big Easy Blastoff all-tournament team
(10 selected . . . no MVP was chosen)

Mirella Gatterdam, Mobile
Avery Wasdin, Mobile
Julia Felix, Point
Kaitlyn Lund, Martin Methodist
Hayley Brisendine, Martin Methodist
Virginia Salanoa-Sagapolu, Webber International
Sury Santos, Webber International
Gillian Tripp, William Carey
Monet Fontaine, XULA
Vivica Price-Spraggins, XULA

2018 Big Easy Blastoff final standings
(no champion was declared)
3-1 XULA
2-1 Mobile
2-2 Martin Methodist
2-2 Point
2-2 Webber International
0-1 SUNO
0-2 William Carey

2018 Big Easy Blastoff scores
Friday, Aug. 31
Point d. Martin Methodist 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-17)
Webber International d. Mobile 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21)
XULA d. Point 3-2 (25-14, 25-27, 25-18, 26-28, 15-10)
Martin Methodist d. Webber International 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-10)
Mobile d. XULA 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-22)

Saturday, Sept. 1
Martin Methodist d. SUNO 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-16)
Mobile d. Point 3-2 (25-16, 25-27, 25-15, 21-25, 15-12)
Webber International d. William Carey 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-18, 25-21)
XULA d. Martin Methodist 3-1 (17-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-14)
Point d. William Carey 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 18-25, 25-23)
XULA d. Webber International 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-14)

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Nuggets split 2 matches before a record home crowd

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana defeated Point 25-14, 25-27, 25-18, 26-28, 15-10 Friday, then lost 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 to Mobile in the Big Easy Blastoff volleyball tournament.
     
A crowd of 523 — largest ever for volleyball at XULA's Convocation Center — watched all five teams finish the day 1-1. The two-day tournament will conclude Saturday, including XULA matches against Martin Methodist at 3 p.m. and Webber International at 7 p.m.
     
Vivica Price-Spraggins hit .538 and had career highs of 16 kills and eight blocks against Point. Marine Angely had 16 kills, a career high, and nine digs. Kayla Black had 15 kills and a season-high 16 digs.
     
Black had 14 kills against Mobile, and Angely had 12 kills and 11 digs.
     
"Both Point and Mobile pushed us to compete," XULA coach Pat Kendrick said. "With this early competition, we're trying to discover who we are."
     
Price-Spraggins hit .511 for the day — 25 kills and two errors in 45 attacks — and is hitting ,441 for the season.
     
"Viv has been consistent," Kendrick said. "If we can get her the ball, she can do good things with it."
     
Black had five kills and Angely three in the fifth set against Point and gave the Gold Nuggets their first five-set home victory in six years.
     
Mirella Gatterdam had 12 kills and four acaes against XULA. The Gold Nuggets have dropped eight straight to the Lady Rams since beating them 2-of-3 times in 2013. XULA will get another shot at Mobile in the Lady Rams' tournament next week.
     
The previous Convocation Center attendance record for volleyball was 511 for a XULA-Dillard match in 2015. This is XULA's sixth season in the $25 million facility.
     
Also Friday, Point defeated Martin Methodist 21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-17, Webber International beat Mobile 25-21, 25-21, 25-21, and Martin Methodist defeated Webber International 25-19, 25-20, 25-10.

BOX SCORE 1    BOX SCORE 2

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
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Howard University Swimming's Latroya Pina Set to Compete in 2020 Summer Olympics

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Howard University senior swimmer Latroya Pina (Seekonk, Mass.) will swim for Cape Verde at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Pina, alongside her siblings, Troy and Jayla, were selected to represent the Cape Verde National Swim Team in the Confederation Africaine de Natation Championship Meet, scheduled for Sept. 10-16 in Algeria.

"It's not far-fetched, three members of one family all going to the World Championships and the Olympic Games," said Pina to The Sun Chronicle. "We're not just swimming for our colleges or schools, but for a nation so we want to do our best."

The family is part of the first team from the African nation island that fielded at the competition; thus, granted an automatic berth to the Summer Games.

"To represent your country at the Olympic level is every swimmers dream," said Howard Swimming & Diving Head Coach Nicholas Askew. "We are excited for Latroya [Pina] and have no doubt, she will make Howard University and Cape Verde very proud."

During the 2017-18 season, Pina was selected HU Bison of the Month for her outstanding performances in January. She won the women's 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley in Howard's Senior Night victory over Marymount. Pina led the way in the season finale at Catholic, claiming the top spots in the same events. The Massachusetts native was also part of two winning relay teams against the Cardinals: 200 medley and 200 freestyle.


Academically, the Biology major received multiple honors, including being named to the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Commissioner's All-Academic Team and 2018 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Spring President's Honor Roll List. Pina maintained a 3.6 or better during the 2017-18 academic calendar year.

After wrapping up her junior year in the pool, Pina joined the Howard Women's Lacrosse team in the spring where she saw action in nine matches.

The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan begins Friday, July 24, 2020 through Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020.

Coach Askew and the Bison begin their 2018-19 season in September.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.

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Howard University Volleyball Sweeps Cardinal Classic Tournament

BEAUMONT, Texas -- The heat in Beaumont, Texas was no match for the heat the Howard University volleyball team brought to the Cardinal Classic hosted by Lamar University. The Bison had an impressive showing in McDonald Gym, winning all three of the games they played. The Bison's performance landed three of their players on the All-Tournament team with senior setter Tamia Dockery taking home Most Valuable Player honors. Sophomores Jurnee Tipton and Fola Wilson rounded out the All-Tournament team from the Howard side. Howard's record is now 5-2. The Bison travel to the Rutgers Invitational in New Jersey where they play September 7-8. The first match is against Rutgers University on Friday at 10:30 a.m. 

Howard University vs. Texas Southern
3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-21)
The Texas Southern Tigers were outmatched by the Bison. Howard held Texas Southern to .099 attack percentage. The Bison maintained the lead majority of each set and put up more kills, aces, blocks, assists and digs than the Tigers.

"Against Texas Southern I thought we played pretty well. We didn't do anything crazy great. We just kept with the momentum that we built last weekend and we're continuing to build on our serve receive, offense and defense," said head coach Shaun Kupferberg. "There was plenty of room for improvement but at the same time we didn't have anything that caused us problems and prevented us from winning matches."

Middle blocker Olubunmi Okunade led the team with 11 kills. Okunade also had two blocks. Outside hitter Marcelle Butler recorded eight kills and two Blocks. Setter Tamia Dockery led in assists and aces, tallying 30 and three. Junior Kira Porter had six kills and three blocks. Jurnee Tipton posted two aces, seven digs and an assist. Fola Wilson had 14 digs and two aces. Jurnee Farrell had three assists. Sophomore Abby Morrow had five digs.

Howard University vs. Lamar University
3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-10, 30-28)
The Cardinal came out hard and heavy, taking the first set from the Bison after Howard was up 11-4. Lamar fought back and tied the game, 21-21. Three errors from the Bison ultimately handed the game to the Cardinal who closed the set with a kill by Tomar Thomas.

"Lamar is a big hard hitting team. We came out and we played really well to start but we were affected by a lot of errors late in the first set. Luckily we were able to come back and correct things in sets two and three," head coach Shaun Kupferberg said.

The Bison were aggressive in sets two and three. They overpowered the Cardinal in a 25-10 win in the third set. It looked like the Bison had found their stride and would easily take set four but the Cardinal made them work for every point. A hard fought fourth set ended with both teams going beyond standard regulation. The result was a 30-28 win for Howard.

"In set four we were up by a lot but then we had a lot of hitting errors and serving errors. We have to work to correct those to win against Southern University. That's really our limiting factor of how well we're going to play this year. We can be an elite team if we get rid of those. If not, we are going to struggle," stated Kupferberg.

Jurnee Tipton posted 17 kills and two assists. Marcelle Butler and Kira Porter had 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Tamia Dockery had a whopping 49 assists. Defensively, Olubunmi Okunade led the team in blocks with five. Courtney Dalton had two blocks. Kira Porter had one block and one assist. Jurnee Farrell had 11 digs and an ace.  Busisiwe Banda also served an ace. Abby Morrow added 9 digs.

Howard University vs. Southern University
3-1 (25-17, 26-24, 19-25, 25-19)
Howard played an action-packed game against Southern University. Both teams attacked above .200 and posted a fairly equal amount of blocks, assists and digs. The Bison shined in kills and aces, having 57 kills to their 46 and seven aces to their one.  

"We struggled a little bit getting up in the morning. We came out a little bit flat. Southern did a good job bringing a lot of energy to this match and forced us really to get out of our shell. They pushed us both on hitting and blocking, making our back row move a little bit more than we're used to," head coach Shaun Kupferberg commented.

The game was close in the second set as the Jaguars kept on the heels of the Bison as they started to pull away in the end. The Bison would prevail in a 26-24 win. Not to be outdone, the jaguars took the third set to force set four. In set four Howard's consistency on the attack led them to a 25-19 win.

"We really didn't pick up defensively where we left off until late in that fourth game. It was a little disappointing from that side. We're very excited that we were able to hit consistently through the match. We're excited that we were able to win the tournament and have a pretty even performance. We have a lot to improve on before next week, obviously serving as well as some defensive issues but we're excited about the victory and bringing home another trophy," expressed Kupferberg.

Junior Jurnee Tipton had an outstanding game, tallying 15 kills, eight digs, three aces and one assist. Senior Tamia Dockery recorded 45 assists, 10 digs, four kills and a block. Fola Wilson had 26 digs. Kira Porter posted four blocks.

Follow the Bison
For complete coverage of Howard University women's volleyball, follow the Bison on social media at @HUBisonVB (Twitter), @HowardVolleyball (Facebook) and @HowardVolleyball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Howard University Athletics at HUBison.com.

About Howard University Athletics
The Howard University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 19 NCAA Division I men and women varsity sports. The programs represent six conferences: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA), Sun Belt Conference, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference. Visit www.hubison.com to leaHrn more.

GAME 1      GAME 2   GAME 3

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Week 1: Battle of the Bands Showcase

North Carolina A&T knocks off FBS team for 3rd straight year

GREENVILLE, North Carolina -- Backup Kylil Carter threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, Timadre Abram intercepted a pass in the end zone as time expired and North Carolina A&T upset East Carolina 28-23 on Sunday for its 14th straight victory.

The game was postponed Saturday because of two lightning delays.

Defending MEAC champion N.C. A&T (2-0) beat an FBS program for the third straight season. East Carolina lost a season-opening home game to an FCS team for the second straight year, falling to James Madison.

ECU started a drive at the N.C. A&T 27 with 4:10 left in the game, but went four-and-out after electing not to go for a field goal. The Pirates got the ball back with 2:07 remaining at its 37 with no timeouts and drove down the field but wasted too much time before being forced into a Hail Mary play.

Carter was 7 of 9 for 93 yards and two scores for N.C. A&T, which beat FCS power Jacksonville State last week.

Carter connected with Zachary Leslie for a one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone to give N.C. A&T a 21-20 fourth-quarter lead — it’s first since 7-3. Elijah Bell caught a short pass, broke a tackle and ran for a 17-yard score for a 28-23 Aggie lead — the third lead change of the fourth quarter.



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Prairie View A&M Panthers Win MEAC/SWAC Challenge

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Prairie View A&M University football team defeated North Carolina Central 40-24 to win the 14th MEAC-SWAC Challenge at Georgia State Stadium.

The Panthers (1-1) jumped out to a 20-0 first-quarter lead, withstood a determined NCCU comeback, and then pulled away late for the victory. Prairie View A&M joins Southern as the only SWAC teams to win the Challenge.

Jalen Morton ran for a 14-yard touchdown on the opening drive, then threw 15 yards to Markcus Hardy for a score on the second possession for an early 14-0 led less than six minutes into the game.

Caleb Broach's 15-yard scoring run just before the quarter ended gave PVAMU the big early lead.

As the Panthers were limited to field goals in the second and third periods, North Carolina Central cut the lead two points on two different occasions, the last time at 26-24 with just over 11 minutes remaining.

Prairie View A&M never lost the lead and sealed the win with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. An 82-yard, seven play drive ended with the second Morton-to-Hardy TD connection, this time from 20 yards out for a 33-24 lead with just under nine minutes to play.

Ju'Anthony Parker's interception and 16-yard return to midfield set up Dawonya Tucker's 50-yard touchdown run with just over six minutes remaining for the final margin.

The Panthers return to action Saturday in a 6 p.m. game at Sam Houston.



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